


Reality Switch

by oneupboy



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Future Fic, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29260209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneupboy/pseuds/oneupboy
Summary: After a year of searching with no leads, Riku is finally on his way to save Sora.  But is Sora really the one who's in danger?
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Reality Switch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I was granted my yearly desire to write so I used it to write the first chapter of a multi chapter fic that I will probably never have time to return to for like at least 7 months :) Let me know if you would be interested in this ever continuing. It's basically a "what if" for what could happen next, after KHMoM. And obviously, yeah, there will be spoilers for the entire series since this takes place post current canon. Eventually it'll probably turn into a Soriku fic, I never use this site so I didn't know if I should mark it now or later but eh. Bon appetit

“I’m… still _here_ …?”

Riku marveled at the expansive mirror of water around him, extending out as far as the eye could see. Only moments ago, he had opened a portal using the Nameless Star’s dreams, and he thought he would find himself in a place called “Quadratum.” This, however, was unmistakably The Final World… so it seemed. There was one glaring difference other than the fact that he was now alone: the bright cloudy sky that had surrounded him on all sides was now a blanket of stars.

_Did any time pass? No…_ He took a few tentative steps forward, ripples in the water as his only frame of reference for where the sky actually ended. When it was daytime somewhere, the other side of the world would be nighttime. _The other side… I made it after all. Could this be their Final World? But, how do I leave?_

Coming to a halt, he looked around in all directions, but the landscape was as featureless as ever. Briefly, he considered picking a star in the sky at random and following it until he hit something, but that was a shot in the dark. He absent-mindedly smirked, thinking how that sounded like an idea Sora would have. That, or calling out into the nothingness and hoping for a response. _Sora…_ There would be no use aimlessly wandering – he needed to save all his energy and concentration for saving his friend. That was all that mattered.

Closing his eyes, he recentered himself. Everyone was counting on him. _Sora_ was counting on him. _I will save you…_

The world around him seemed to react to the determination in his heart, as if a magic word had been spoken. His eyes shot open as the Final World shifted around him, intricate formations of salt crystals rising from the water on all sides, extending into the sky as tall as skyscrapers. It wasn’t long until he may as well have been in a city of salt. The structures glittered brilliantly in the starlight. If he hadn’t been equal parts single-minded in his quest and surprised by their appearance, Riku may have found them beautiful.

The skyscrapers of salt weren’t the only source of the sparkling. Just like before, when he was with Kairi and the Fairy Godmother, countless stars appeared as if from nowhere, the formless hearts of those unable to move on from life… Perhaps they had been there the whole time. They settled into the “city” like people might, perhaps following the routines of their former lives. Some floated aimlessly along the “sidewalks,” or drifted into doorless buildings as if stepping inside. Others simply hovered in place, as if nothing about the world around them had changed. Riku wondered if those hearts were closer to moving on, and for some reason, the thought made him sad. _If it was me… would I move on?_

He didn’t pause to wonder about it. Instead, he approached one of the unmoving hearts. Maybe he could offer some solace… Though, he wasn’t quite sure what, if anything, he could say. He probably couldn’t ask anyone how to get out of here. After all, if they knew, they wouldn’t be here.

One heart seemed to pulse slightly as Riku grew closer.

“H-hey, um…” Just as he thought he’d be, he was at a loss for words.

Thankfully, the heart seemed to have plenty to say. “I was never any good at anything, but I always figured I could be, y’know, if I kept at it. I’m a bit of a jokester and a bit of a hothead; I guess since I didn’t have the skill to get noticed, I thought being as loud as possible would get his attention eventually. It’s not that it didn’t work, but it’s never what I really wanted. I just wanted to be his equal, his… his friend, even. We did fight side by side, but I could never measure up. In the end, I gave it all I got… It just wasn’t quite enough.”

Riku mulled over the heart’s words. “Whoever he was, I’m sure he thought you were enough. That he valued you…”

“I was never any good at anything, but…” Without much of a pause, the heart began to repeat what was said before, and Riku’s mouth fell open slightly, realizing the heart wasn’t in a place to talk. Not all the souls in the Final World were like the Nameless Star, he supposed. Walking further into the city, he felt unsettled by the thought of the heart trapped here indefinitely, reliving its final, painful self-doubt forever…

Like the water it was “built” upon, the city seemed to continue on forever – it was much bigger than any place Riku had ever been. _I need a better vantage point…_ As he thought this, Riku felt his stomach lurch slightly, and found his feet dragging to the side, as if the direction of gravity was changing. He “fell” to the right and shifted his body so that he could land squarely with his feet on the side of the tall salt building next to him. Scaling the building, he was quietly thankful that after a year out of battle, his reflexes hadn’t dulled. When he reached the “top” of the building, he climbed over the edge and found that gravity kept him tethered to the building. “Down” was “down” again.

As he reoriented himself, more sparkling came into view. _A heart, up here?_ He approached it, saying nothing.

It spoke without being prompted. “I made a promise to be his shield. I thought that I would always be there to protect him. It was my sworn duty, but it was more than that: it was what I wanted. I knew he could handle himself, so I let him go too far alone. I know that if he made it, he will be fine without me. But the knowledge that I let him down when he needed me most is too much to bear.”

Riku couldn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. As before, the heart simply began to repeat what it had already said. Worrying about a friend who went too far alone… He knew the feeling. It made his heart sink.

Looking all around him from the top of the building, he could see that the salt structures did indeed stretch out as far as the water of the Final World – presumably forever. His face fell – what was the goal here? What needed to happen for him to make it out of here? He grew increasingly nervous as he realized that time could flow differently here – an hour for him could be days of Sora being in danger, and he would have no idea. Desperately, he scanned the horizon.

Finally, one structure caught his eye – a notably large, blocky base with two towers extending up from either side. But it wasn’t the building that got his attention. Near the top, in the sea of black and blue, Riku swore he caught a glint of red, which disappeared as soon as he blinked. Was it a trick of the eye, or was he so anxious for a lead that he imagined one? Regardless, he began jumping between rooftops, moving closer to the large building.

When he finally reached the top of the towering structure, he looked all around – there wasn’t anything on the roof, red or otherwise. It was a flat saline surface like all the others. Riku let out a disgruntled sigh, and the huff almost masked the sound of footsteps approaching from behind – almost.

Turning with a start, he was greeted by the sight of a figure in a black coat, with the hood up. Reflexively, he summoned Braveheart to his side and took an offensive stance. _The Organization, here?! Didn’t we handle them?_ He paused for a moment. Organization members weren’t the only ones who wore the coat. “Who are you?” He demanded.

The man brushed off the question. “Come on, you _really_ haven’t figured this place out yet? But you’re supposed to be so ‘ _bright!’_ ”

Riku didn’t appreciate this guy’s tone, or the weird emphasis he placed on the last word. “If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out. I don’t have time for games right now.”

The man put his hands up in a comedic defensive gesture. “Whoa, whoa, slow down there! I was _going_ to offer you a helpful tip, but if you’re gonna be like _that_ …”

“I don’t need tips from the likes of you,” Riku retorted. Internally, he kicked himself for saying that, realizing this guy might have the only information available about how to navigate this place. Then again, he had no reason to trust him. Anything he said could be a trick.

“Yeesh, talk about brash! You know, you should really learn to respect your elders…” He assumed a neutral stance with his arms behind his back, but Riku kept his guard up. The man being unarmed made Riku even more uneasy than if he’d been carrying a weapon. Was it a bluff, or was he really so powerful that he could stay completely unruffled with Braveheart pointed directly at him? Riku wasn’t taking any chances with this guy. “Listen, we got off on the wrong foot, but I _really_ wanna help you out. Promise! You need to get to Quadratum, right?”

Riku started. He wanted to ask, _How do you know that?_ but what came out was: “Huh? You know it?”

“’Course I do! What if I told you, you’re already there?” He paused for a beat, then let out a laugh. “Well, I’d be lying. You should’ve seen your face!” Riku scowled. “Not much for jokes, are you?”

“Funny ones, maybe.”

“Tough crowd. Well, whatever.” The man shrugged dramatically as he turned to walk away. “If you don’t want my advice on how to get out of here, I guess you could always _sleep_ on it.”

Riku gasped quietly. _Sleep… Of course!_ He had come here using a dream portal – he was in a dream! If he was in a dream on the other side, all he needed to do was wake up, and he would be there.

The man chuckled, snapping Riku back from his revelation. “Welp, sounds like you figured it out on your own after all,” he said sarcastically. “But don’t worry. I’ll still be there to help you out in a _pinch_ , Riku.”

Before he could react to the man knowing his name, Riku felt a sharp pain in his head and collapsed to the floor.

When he came to, he felt a cold, coarse pressure against his face, and a cool breeze rustling the back of his hair. He slowly stood and took in his surroundings, instantly realizing he had made it – he was awake, on the other side.


End file.
